Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Tomas Hertl skated for the Slavia Prague U18 and U20 teams in the Czech Republic, winning a gold medal with the U18 squad. Hertl was the third-leading scorer for the U20 team as a 17-year-old, scoring 12 goals with 26 assists and 12 penalty minutes. He had 1 goal with 2 penalty minutes in four playoff games. Hertl was dominant at the U18 level – scoring 13 goals with 10 assists in seven regular season games and then adding 5 goals with 6 assists in five playoff contests.

2010-11: Hertl appeared in one game for Slavia Prague in the Czech Extraliga, was was one of four players with 40 or more points on a high scoring Slavia U20 team, and represented the Czech Republic at the 2011 U18 World Junior Championship. Hertl scored 14 goals with 27 assists and had 49 penalty minutes in 33 games for Slavia U20. In four playoff games he scored 4 goals with 2 assists. In six games at the U18 WJC he scored 1 goal and was minus-three with 12 penalty minutes. The Czech Republic finished eighth in the tournament.

2011-12: Hertl was the fourth-leading scorer for Slavia Prague as a rookie in the Czech Extraliga and represented the Czech Republic at the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship. Skating in 38 games, he scored 11 goals with 15 assists and had 22 penalty minutes. After finishing 12th in the 14-team league, Slavia avoided relegation to the first division in the twelve-game playout series. Hertl scored 3 goals with 6 penalty minutes in the post-season. In six games at the WJC, he scored 3 goals with 2 assists and was plus-two. The Czechs finished fifth in the tournament. Hertl was ranked fifth amongst European skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft.

2012-13: Hertl played for Slavia Prague in the Czech Extraliga and represented the Czech Republic in the 2013 IIHF World Championship and World Junior Championship tournaments. Slavia’s leading scorer, he had 18 goals with 12 assists in 43 games and was +5 with 16 penalty minutes. The club finished first in the Extraliga before falling to third-place Plzen in the playoff semifinals. Hertl scored 3 goals with 5 assists and was an even plus/minus in 11 playoff games. In eight games at the World Championship he was -3 with no points nor penalty minutes. Hertl was an assistant captain for the Czech Republic at the WJC and scored 2 goals with 3 assists; finishing with an even plus/minus and 10 penalty minutes. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with San Jose in May, 2013.

Talent Analysis

Tomas Hertl is a young star on the rise. He excels in almost every skill and situation and works tirelessly at correcting the faults he does have. He is a good skater, and travels quick to the puck with above average four-step acceleration. The playmaking Czech has a very under-appreciated physical game that allows him to impact games outside of the score sheet. He might not possess top level point production skills, but his all-around game, highlighted by his excellent shot, make him not just a potential top line forward, but a potential star in the NHL.

Future

Hertl seems destined to start the year with the big club. Having bought him out of his foreign deal, the Sharks will give every opportunity for Hertl to adapt to the North American game on the fly. With a solid camp, he could find himself in an immediate top-six role. Despite a strong group of rookies likely to enter the NHL this season, Hertl should be considered a serious player for the Calder Trophy award.

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Photo: Though the Columbus Blue Jackets added several important prospects this past off-season, none were more prominent than defenseman Ryan Murray, who was selected second overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. (Derek Leung/Getty Images)

Below is the bottom third of the NHL Team Rankings in terms of prospects as voted on by Hockey's Future staff. To determine the ranking, each team's entire prospect pool was taken into consideration. For reference, just the top five prospects are listed. To be eligible, a prospect must meet HF's prospect criteria. The rankings are done twice a year, with the second scheduled to be published in the Spring.

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Photo: San Jose Sharks prospect Tomas Hertl achieved another milestone in his young career with his recent selection to the Czech Republic's top national team (courtesy of Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

Two years ago, little was known about Tomáš Hertl, then a 16-year-old center for the junior team of Slavia Prague. That season, he played mostly in the Czech U-20 Extraliga, posting better numbers than Radek Faksa, who was, however, drafted at a higher place at the 2012 NHL Draft. The same year, Hertl had his Czech Extraliga debut, not collecting any points, but at the age of sixteen, surely letting the hockey world notice his name.

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Photo: Left wing Matt Nieto leads a shallow group of winger prospects for the San Jose Sharks. (courtesy of Ed Wolfstein/Icon SMI)

The San Jose Sharks have long believed in the philosophy of taking things slow, and letting young players develop to earn the opportunity to play with the big club. Unfortunately for the Sharks in the last five years, there have not been many opportunities earned.

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Photo: The ninth overall selection in the 2012 draft, Derrick Pouliot's high-end offensive skill and hockey sense rank him among the league's top defensive prospects. (courtesy of Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)

The Fall edition of Hockey's Future's ranking of the Top 50 NHL prospects begins with the prospects ranked 41-50. The addition of the 2012 NHL Draft picks to an already diverse and talented NHL prospect pool presented the committee with a formidable challenge. The result is a diverse group of prospects at different stages in their development, from those on the verge of NHL stardom to project players who are still years away from helping their NHL club on a nightly basis.

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San Jose second-round pick Chris Tierney will be a key centerman for the London Knights during the 2012-13 season. (courtesy of CHL Images)

The San Jose Sharks finished the 2011-12 season with arguably the worst prospect pool in the entire NHL. This has been a familiar trend within the Sharks organization over the past few seasons as they have looked to contend in the Western Conference and have sacrificed some of their future to do so. Despite the lack of top-tier talent, the Sharks’ prospect pipeline has become something of a well-oiled machine; year after year lesser known, unheralded players go in, and well-developed, NHL-ready talent comes out. The Sharks head into the 2012-13 season with a strong batch of relative unknowns, hoping to silence the critics.